4 ms·
Sure, it's the letter of the law that donations have to be gifts. But nonprofit development (=fundraising) work has lots of gray areas. A simple example: gifts
by OliverJones 10y ago
Sure, it's the letter of the law that donations have to be gifts. But nonprofit development (=fundraising) work has lots of gray areas.
A simple example: gifts may be restricted. Restricting a gift is as simple as writing a $10 check to the Sierra Club and writing "spotted owl conservation" on the memo line. If the Sierra Club doesn't have a spotted owl program, they're supposed to get your permission to apply the gift elsewhere.
If your gift were for half a million dollars and restricted that way, you'd be trying to set policy with it.
Not all attempts by donors to drive policy are harmful to the org. And, not all such attempts are self-dealing or other fiscal shenanigans. Usually they're far more banal clashes of egos.
- georgeecollins 10y agoI think the crazy way Donald Trump used his charity demonstrates that it is probably pretty easy to abuse charities in the US. I am not trying to make a political point, I'm sure there are liberals who take advantage of charities too. But if Trump wasn't running for President, would anyone have noticed how the funds were being used? http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-elections/us-election-donald-trump-foundation-biggest-donation-fountain-republican-party-new-york-a7387701.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-election... https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-used-258000-from-his-charity-to-settle-legal-problems/2016/09/20/adc88f9c-7d11-11e6-ac8e-cf8e0dd91dc7_story.html?utm_term=.b8228e5d8adf https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-used-258000-fr...
- jhbadger 10y agoAnd likewise, the reason that Soon-Shiong's actions are under scrutiny is that his name has been mentioned as a possible director of the National Institutes of Health (although Obama's pick of Francis Collins is being kept on for the time being).